Student gets costly used-car lesson

I really hate to say this. Normally, I’d couch such a blunt statement with a qualifier or two, but after nearly a year of work as the Advocate, I’m afraid I know better.
Trust is an inclination best set aside entirely when considering buying a used car.

Maybe, when all is said and done, you will learn that the seller is as honest as the day is long. Maybe the seller will turn out to be so trustworthy and sharp about scouting out reliable second-hand vehicles that you’ll return again and again whenever you need an extra car in the family driveway.
But, please, wait to make that judgment until you have the happy experience under your belt to support it.
Do this, even if you live in the small-town rural atmosphere of southeastern Rensselaer County, the setting for this week’s cautionary tale — and even if the guy selling you the car writes something comforting like “30-day warranty or 1,000 miles, motor and transmission only” on the bill of sale.
These were among the factors that reassured Jordan Doyle, a 19-year-old college student, and her parents when Jordan spent the bulk of her savings to purchase a 1997 Subaru Legacy for $1,800 last month.
The Doyles noticed the vehicle parked next to Routes 9 and 20 in Schodack one day with a “For Sale” sign and a telephone number. The price was within Jordan’s budget, and the all-wheel-drive capability was just what she needed for travel from the Doyles’ remote home in East Nassau when the weather turns stormy.
But one day after Jordan picked up the car, it overheated.
Jordan’s father, Daniel Doyle, took it to a nearby local mechanic and got a diagnosis that included a leaking radiator and leaking head gasket. The estimated cost of the head gasket replacement, alone, was $1,648 — close to what Jordan paid for the whole car.
Since there was a 30-day warranty, they took the car back to the seller, David Lindeman, at his house on Van Hoesen Road in Schodack for repair and left it with him for a couple of days. After picking it up, they took the car to their regular mechanics at Gendron’s in Troy, and were told that the radiator leaks had been plugged with some sort of sealant, but the head gasket was still leaky.
The last time he called asking to return the car for his money back or a confirmed replacement of the head gasket, Daniel Doyle says, Lindeman refused and hung up with terse advice to just “sell the car.”
Now, the Doyles are following about the only path they can to try to get some satisfaction. They have filed a complaint with the state Department of Motor Vehicles and are waiting to hear from an investigator with the agency.
They have been dismayed and frustrated by the whole episode.
“This is all my daughter’s money,” said Nicolle Doyle. “She goes to SUNY Albany. She needs a way back and forth to school.”
For now, Jordan continues to use the car to travel to her summer job in East Greenbush, but it’s not good for the engine to keep driving it with a leaky head gasket.
It’s also starting to sound like the muffler on the well-used vehicle, which has 198,000 miles on it, will need repair or replacement. Daniel Doyle said he already assumed he’d need to pay for some other maintenance work, like replacing an aged serpentine belt.
I tried several times this week to reach David Lindeman to talk about Jordan Doyle’s car, but there was no answer on the telephone number that the Doyles have used.
The same number is posted on the sign for Route 9 Antiques at the Lindeman home, and I found it displayed on another car, a blue Saturn sedan, that was for sale nearby on the side of Routes 9 & 20.
The bill of sale the Doyles were given also included the name of a dealership, Country Auto Sales on West Sand Lake Road in Wynantskill, but the only number I could find for that business was out of service, and the owner is recorded on state DMV and other business records as “Dan” Lindeman, not David. A photocopied signature for Dan Lindeman also appears on the document.
According to the state DMV, Country Auto is “in good standing” with the department, and I could not immediately confirm that there was any actual connection between the dealership and the Doyles’ Subaru.
For now, the Doyles are hoping that DMV’s investigators will help them gain some satisfaction from the seller. If that doesn’t help, they might eventually pursue a small claims case against Lindeman, but they probably would have to get in line to collect. I found a Chapter 13 petition on file for David Lindeman and his wife with U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Albany.
Thus, I resort here to offering advice for consumers before buying.
First, a test drive is a good idea, but it’s not enough. Two or three more steps should be at the top of anyone’s list before buying a used car from a dealer or a private seller:
Take the car to a mechanic you trust for a thorough going-over before you buy.
Check around to see if the price is in the ballpark with what others are asking for similar cars of similar age and mileage. Newspaper classifieds, dealerships and Internet sites like Edmunds.com can be good sources for comparison.
Sources including Consumer Reports and Edmunds also can help you learn more about the reliability and repair records of older vehicles.
The state DMV has a brochure with tips for car shoppers, called Let the Buyer Be Aware, on its Web site, http://www.nydmv.state.ny.us/, where you also can find information on how to file a complaint if you do get burned.
The time and money you invest as a result of your skepticism could be more-than worth the cost.